Copper and Teal DIY necklace

So I was inspired by a number of things for this project. Firstsly the necklace itself comes from something that I saw on 'PS I made this' and the colours were inspired by the the film Amelie.

I origionally wanted to use ribbon like the version on PS I made this, but when I saw this rope in my favorite mercerie in Montmartre, I knew immediately that It would be perfect. In the photos it comes accross as blue but in real life it is a bright greeny teal.

I'm really excited about this project because it's a really striking piece of jewellery which will brighten up my predominantly black oufits.

What you need: About 1/2 metre of rope
                        copper tubes which you can find in your hardware store's plumbing section
                        sticky-tape
                        clasp which has a catch big enough to fit around the rope
                        *scissors

Step 1: Measure the length of rope that you want. Wrap sticky-tape around the rope just before the point where you intend to cut it. this is so that it doesn't start fraying

Step 2: Slip the bent copper tube to the middle of the rope

Step 3: Tie two even knots next to the tube

Step 4: Slip the straight tubes on. One on either side of the bent tube.

Step 5: Attach your clasps to the necklace

Wear with pride!!!

Les deux moulins

After school today I went to Montmartre with some friends to have yummmy cupcakes at this adorable little tearoom Miss Cupcake but, unfortunately, it was closed. (on monday mornings most little shops in paris are closed)

Instead we headed to the famous 'les deux moulin' or the 'amilie café' as others call it. It is the same café that Amelie works in in the film and, surprisingly, today was my first time paying it a visit. Apparently they have 3 E 80 Coctails at happy hour so it definately won't be the last time I go there.

Anyway going to the café and spending some time in Montmartre reminded me about how much I adore Amelie so I watched it again for about the 10th time when i got home! I'm not entirely sure what it is about the movie that I love the most. The music is a very important factor, the storyline is so quirky and unusual but I think the best thing about it is how the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, succeeds in  creating an absolute masterpiece with every scene.

The teal (ish) green and red(ish) orange which are predominent throughout the film are the inspiration for my next DIY so stay tuned to see what I'm making next!

Black and gold

I dont know if anyone else experiences this, but I tend to go through major colour phases when it comes to my wardrobe.  When I was about 15 that colour was brown: I had brown boots, brown jerseys, brown jacket, brown handbag brown t-shirts etc etc. Then in my last year or two of high-school that colour changed to grey. All my staples went through a colour makeover and grey became my new best friend.

I dont know if its because I'm a bit older now, or maybe it's just the ever-chic Parisiens who have inspired me, but all of a sudden black has completely taken over. I never used to be able to wear it before. Black always felt too depressing or too mature for me, but now it forms the base of all my outfits.

I'm trying hard not to go head to toe black everyday though. (don't want to be mistaken for an emo)

Last sunday, after brunching with some of my au pair friends at pierre herme (supposedly they have the best pain au chocolate in Paris) I passed by a shoe shop with a closing down sale. I found a pair of (no surprise) black oxford flats for a very reasonable 14,99 E and vowed to spruce them up a bit by painting them. I was a bit undecided about what colour I wanted so I did a bit of research and eventually decided on classic gold. Check out some of my très très chic inspiration.

I have seen loads of shoe makeovers on sites like craftgawker and pinterest and although they all look great, none of them are very specific about  which paint to use and wheather or not the look actually lasts. 

So I decided to take a bit of a risk to share with you what I have used and whether or not it works so that you can learn from my example. 

Ok so here is my DIY

What you need: 1 pair of, preferable cheap or old, oxford flats
                        12 washers
                        1 Marabu Brilliant painter (I chose this pen because it says its suitable for most
                       surfaces including plastic and leather so I hope it will work with my 'pleather'
                       shoes.*)

 Step 1: Outline the areas you want to paint.Take your time and be neat. I like the fact that with the pen you don't need to cover the other parts of the shoe to protect them from the paint, like you would have to do if you used spraypaint.

 Step 2: Fill in the areas with the pen. Make sure to always apply the paint in the same direction. Apply 2 coats

Step 3: Apply washers to the lace holes. If you want to you can glue them but it's not really necessary .

And there you go!

         

                                          

* please note that this project is an experiment and I will be updating with information about the paint. Whether it flakes, is water proof etc. so stay tuned before buying your supplies. 

DIY inspiration: Stars and Stripes

When I was in New York with my host family last month I was really taken aback by how many people had flags outside their homes, shops, busineses. They really are very patriotic people.

America isn't the only place that I have seen lots of stars and stripes, though. Flag shorts, shirts, shoes and other accesories were very popular last summer (july-august 2011) Check out some of these cute flag inspired items and stay tuned for a new DIY next week!

                                   

 

                                                              

Movember

As Movember comes to an end today, it's time to bid farewell to our furry little friends untill next November.
I must admit I am not a particularly big fan of the fake moustache pose that many peeps post on their facebook pages but I do think that the following project (which was inspired by some mugs I saw on I/object) is very cute indeed.

With christmas just around the corner I think these will make adorable little gifts for friends and extended family. Its quick and fun and a suits a small budget

(ok so maybe the mug on its own is a little cheap but what if we include one of these little hot chocolate kits too....yummers)

What you need: A plain mug (colour of your choice)
                         Porcelain paint- I used Marabu porcelain calligraphy painter (air dries. no need
                         for oven) which I bought from my all time favorite store. BHV
                         Scrap paper
                         Pencil
                         Scissors

Step 1: Research and find the moustache shape that you want

Step 2: Either print or draw your favorite moustache on the scrap piece of paper

Step 3: Place your paper moustache onto your mug so that when you hold the mug the moustache faces forward

Step 4: Trace your moustache

Step 5: With a steady hand, use your porcelain paint to draw the outline of the moustache. This is the most important part so take your time and be neat.  Then, evenly fill out the inside.

Step 6: Let it dry overnight

Box weave necklace

Hello all!

Those who know me, know that I am not much of an accessorizer. I don't wear much jewelry and when I do it's usually only very simple, silver stuff. Well, ever since I've started DIY(ing) that has changed. I can't get enough of big, chunky costume jewelry, especially collar type necklaces. With today's project (inspired by a post on 'honestly wtf')  I am adding another awesome piece to my growing collection.

What you need: +/- 2 hours
                       about 8-10 metres of micro-fibre suede chord.
                       a packet of washers
                      *optional- when I made mine I only used 4 metres of chord which was only about
                       enough to make a bracelet so I lengthened it with a chain.
                  

Step 1: Cut your chord into 4 equally long pieces

Step 2: Knot the four pieces together leaving enough slack to tie necklace behind you neck

Step 3: Lay the ends out in a cross shape (one chord facing North, one chord facing South, one chord facing East, and one chord facing West)

Step 4: Start braiding: fold North and South over to the opposite ends making to loops.

Step 5: Weave West over South and under North. Weave East over north and under South

Step 6: Pull all chords tightly.

Step 7: Carry on weaving for about 7-10 cm then thread one washer through a chord.

Step 8: Weave over the washer, and add the next washer every second weave (always to the same thread going in the same direction)

Step 9: Tie around neck

*extra tip. when weaving the long chords might get tangled so I suggest you roll them and secure them with some rubber elastics to keep them from knotting. ( do not roll the chord on which you thread the washers)

Fur Headband

So I'm sure you've all noticed that fur (or atleast faux fur) is very much in style this winter. As much as I love the new coats that are available realistically, no South African needs a fur coat. Winter just isn't that cold in SA. Buying one now, for my last month in Paris would just be a waste and a mission to get into my, already overloaded, suitcase. Not buying a coat doesn't mean that I can't stay on top of winter's hottest trend, though (haha! get it? cos fur keeps you warm so its hot! i crack myself up sometimes!)

So anyway while I was waiting for my flight back to Paris after some time in London, I found this awesome headband in the Heathrow Accesorize for 24 euros

 

It was the end of the holiday though, so I had no money to buy the beautiful furry accessory :(

A week or two later, while I was walking around the fabric shops near Anvers metro station I came accross some  faux fur in my favorite little mercerie for 16 euros. It was the end of the roll and luckily EXACTLY the width of my head and long enough to make two head bands!!!!

so here's a little tutorial on how to make your own fur headband. 

What you need: sharp scissors 

                         fur (double the width that you want your headband to be)

                         needle 

                         thread the colour of your fur 

                         elastic (only needed if your fur is not long enough to fit around your head) 

Step 1:  fold your fur in half, lengthwise 

Step 2: Sew the two ends together to make a long tube. Some people might want to do this the inside out way  but I found that it was too difficult to turn it out to the right side again. PLUS the fur hides your stitches so if you're not very good at sewing aesthetically (like me) no one will notice! (yay!) 

Step 3: Measure out how much elastic you need (if any) and sew each end of your elastic to each end of your tube. or alternatively (if your fur is long enough) just sew the two ends together. 

Step 4: Wear your new fur headband with pride. 

Warning: 1) thick fur headbands which go over your ears, while keeping them nice and snug, may make

              hearing a challenge

              2) do not consume vodka while wearing headband, unless you want to mistaken for a russian spy